An extruder is a type of device used in the manufacture of material mixtures or compounds. The function of an extruder includes the process of heating, melting, pressurizing and homogenizing materials through the means of a rotating screw. An extruder may contain a single rotating screw, or two rotating screws. There are several types of extruders extant in the art.
Fundamentally, an extruder consists of a long cylinder or shaft. Extruder screw elements are mounted one after the other in a continuous chain on the shaft. The shape and design of the elements mounted on the shaft vary depending on the specific process being undertaken within the extruder. Several types of barrels and elements are known in the art. Enclosing the extruder shaft is a long barrel-like device that essentially joins together several smaller barrels. The shape and design of the smaller barrels vary depending on the specific process being undertaken within the extruder. Several types of barrels are known in the art, and range from barrels for the purpose of intake, venting, cooling, heating, side-feeding, closed, and combinations thereof.
The design, layout and functioning of an extruder barrel and screw configuration would depend on the barrels and elements within, as well as the materials to be compounded using the device itself.
Designing and creating an extruder barrel and screw configuration requires sophisticated knowledge and understanding of materials science. Conventionally, scientists have designed and created extruder configurations after physically experimenting with a variety of barrels and elements to arrive at a desired barrel and screw configuration. Using such a method is a time-consuming and laborious task. It also brings with it the possibility of human error in putting together the parts of the extruder barrel and screw configuration, which can have implications on the eventual material being manufactured.
There is the need for a system that allows the visualization, design, and creation of barrel and screw configurations for extruders in the form of a virtual assemblage, prior to physically making the device.